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    Home » Recipes » Drink Recipes

    Bramble

    Apr 23, 2022 · Modified: Aug 8, 2023 by Asha · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    The bramble is a delicious and refreshing gin-based drink based on simplicity. Gin - soured with lemon, sweetened with syrup, and flavoured with créme de mûre. The result is a beautifully balanced drink featuring dark blackberry. While known as a springtime cocktail, the refreshing lemon and crushed ice also lend it well to summer sipping.

    A bramble cocktail decorated with white flowers and blackberries. this recipe
    Jump to:
    • Origin
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions
    • Equipment
    • 📖 Recipe

    Origin

    Dick Bradsell, known as a patriarch of England's cocktail uptick, and then manager of Fred's Club, created this cocktail in 1984. This members club in London's Soho catered to a very famous clientele, including Boy George, Naomi Cambell, and The Banshees, to name just a few.

    He was inspired to make the bramble after sampling some crème de mûre. The flavour carried him back to a childhood memory from the Isle of Wight, fighting his way through a prickly blackberry bush to get at the juicy berries that others had missed. The blackberry bush is otherwise called a bramble.

    Fred's Club shared its kitchen with a restaurant that had a crushed ice machine; it would use crushed ice to display its seafood and oysters. And so, Dick incorporated crushed ice from this machine into the drink. The crushed ice works perfectly to dilute a drink that would otherwise be too cloying.

    If you're interested in another British cocktail you should try the east 8 hold up, which has a rather hilarious backstory.

    Overhead shot of bramble decorated with white flowers and blackberries.

    Ingredients

    • Gin
    • Freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • Simple syrup
    • Blackberry liqueur - I use Giffard Crème de Mûre
    • Crushed ice

    See the recipe card below for quantities.

    Instructions

    Add gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes. Shake vigorously for about twenty seconds. Strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice.

    Adding the liquid will cause some of the ice to melt. Top up the glass with more crushed ice to have it slightly 'heaping.'

    Then, drizzle the blackberry liqueur on top of the crushed ice. The dark liqueur will filter through the ice, creating a beautiful bleeding effect into the cocktail.

    Side profile of bramble cocktail, showing the bleeding effect of the crème de mûre.

    Substitutions

    Crème de mûre is the ultimate choice of liqueur to use in this cocktail. However, when necessary, you should substitute it with crème de cassis, which is made from black currants. You could also use the raspberry-based Chambord, however, the resulting flavour will be quite different. Chambord will give you a sweeter, red berry flavour and I would slightly reduce the simple syrup to counter that.

    If you substitute the gin with vodka in this cocktail, the cocktail flavour will have been changed dramatically and can no longer be considered a bramble. According to Dick, the creator, this should at the very least be referred to as a vodka bramble to differentiate it.

    Equipment

    To make this cocktail, you will need a cocktail shaker and strainer.

    Image of cocktail bar set

    cocktail bar set

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    You will need a rocks glass for serving.

    Image of double rocks glass

    double rocks glass

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    And you will need crushed ice. I used this shaved ice machine to easily make the perfect texture of ice for this cocktail.

    Image of Shaved ice machine

    Shaved ice machine

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    Overhead shot of bramble decorated with white flowers and blackberries.
    Print

    📖 Recipe

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    A bramble cocktail decorated with white flowers and blackberries.

    Bramble

    5 from 2 reviews
    • Author: Asha
    • Prep Time: 2 minutes
    • Total Time: 2 minutes
    • Yield: 1 drink 1x
    • Category: Cocktails
    • Cuisine: British
    Save Recipe Recipe Saved
    Print Recipe

    Description

    The bramble is a beautifully balanced, gin-based cocktail featuring dark blackberry. While known as a springtime cocktail, the refreshing lemon and crushed ice also lend it well to summer sipping.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    1 ½ oz gin

    1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

    5/12 oz simple syrup

    5/12 oz blackberry liqueur (crème de mûre)

    crushed ice


    Instructions

    Add gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes. Shake vigorously for about twenty seconds. Strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice.

    Adding the liquid will cause some of the ice to melt. Top up the glass with more crushed ice to have it slightly 'heaping.'

    Drizzle the blackberry liqueur on top of the crushed ice. The dark liqueur will filter through the ice, creating a beautiful bleeding effect into the cocktail.


    Equipment

    Image of Shaved ice machine

    Shaved ice machine

    Buy Now →
    Image of double rocks glass

    double rocks glass

    Buy Now →
    Image of cocktail bar set

    cocktail bar set

    Buy Now →

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 28
    • Sugar: 7.4 g
    • Sodium: 0.3 mg
    • Fat: 0.1 g
    • Carbohydrates: 8.8 g
    • Protein: 0.1 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

    Keywords: bramble, bramble cocktail, blackberry bramble

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @corianderandlace on Instagram and hashtag it #corianderandlace

    Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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    1. Bernice says

      April 26, 2022 at 7:46 pm

      Since we've had a few dumps of late snow, I'm having a difficult time getting into spring mode. These yummy cocktails should help!! Love how you garnished them with flowers.

      Reply
      • Asha says

        April 27, 2022 at 11:21 am

        Thank you, Bernice. Had a sprinkling of snow here this morning too!

        Reply
    2. Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says

      April 26, 2022 at 10:46 pm

      Every year at the cottage we try and out do each other by serving new drinks. This one looks perfect for a hot day in the sun. I can't wait to try it!






      Reply
      • Asha says

        April 27, 2022 at 11:22 am

        Thank you! 🙂 Can't wait for cottage season

        Reply
    3. Terri says

      May 02, 2022 at 11:41 pm

      Love this drink - so refreshing! And you made it look so beautiful, of course!






      Reply
      • Asha says

        May 05, 2022 at 3:41 pm

        Thanks so much, Terri!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    A headshot of Asha, the author of Coriander and Lace. this recipe

    Hi, I'm Asha - a food and travel enthusiast based in Toronto. Join me in my kitchen adventures for beautiful, delicious recipes.

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